Carnival Corporation has signed a memorandum of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri S.p.A. to build two new cruise ships with final contracts expected to be executed in early 2017. The two new ships are designated for the company’s Holland America Line and Princess Cruises brands. With the new agreement, Carnival Corporation now has 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2017 and 2022.
Holland America Line’s new ship will be built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, with an expected delivery in 2021, and the ship for Princess Cruises will be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone, Italy, shipyard with an expected delivery in 2022.
Holland America Line’s new 2,660-guest ship will be its third “Pinnacle” class vessel, following the design of the line’s newest and largest ship, Koningsdam, and its sibling ship, Nieuw Statendam, scheduled for delivery in November 2018.
Princess Cruises' new ship will carry 3,660 passengers and will be its sixth "Royal" class vessel, using the design platform used on Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess, the world’s first ship designed specifically for the China market and scheduled for delivery in March 2017, as well as its sibling ships – the two yet-to-be-named vessels also under construction by Fincantieri scheduled for delivery in 2019 and 2020.
Holland America Line’s ship will combine classic hallmarks of the brand with several of the venues that were introduced on Koningsdam, as well as new concepts that will debut on Nieuw Statendam and additional elements unique to the new vessel.
The new Princess Cruises ship will have the new Ocean Medallion Class– a personalized cruise experience made possible by Carnival Corporation’s recently announced Ocean Medallion, a wearable device powered by an interactive technology platform enabling enhanced services and personalized experiences for guests. The ship will also offer other signature Princess brand elements, such as a soaring central atrium hub with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; its signature Movies Under the Stars; and 81 percent of all staterooms with balconies.
Each of Carnival Corporation’s new ships will be specifically designed and developed for each brand and the guests and markets it will serve. Specific features and amenities for the ships, along with deployment details, will be revealed in the coming months.
Visit www.hollandamerica.com and www.princess.com